ESR study on SiO2-supported half-titanocene catalyst for syndiospecific polymerization of styrene

Monocyclopentadienyltitanium trichloride (CpTiCl₃) was directly immobilized on silica surface. The resulting CpTiCl₃/SiO₂-MAO was investigated in view of its suitability for syndiospecific polymerization of styrene using ESR spectroscopy. Polymerization results show that both the syndiotacticity and the activity decrease upon immobilization. A possible explanation is that the active sites may become aspecific after immobilization and part of the immobilized active sites can be leached into the solution in the presence of MAO.     

Syndiospecific polymerization of styrene in the presence of new titanium complexes with dialkanolamines: Titanocanes and bistitanocanes

The syndiospecific polymerization of styrene is studied in the presence of titanium complexes with dialkanolamines—bistitanocanes and titanocane—activated by individual MAO or the combined cocatalyst MAO/TIBA. It is shown that these catalysts are more active and stereospecific after their activation with the combined cocatalyst ([TIBA]: [MAO] ≤ 0.13) than that in the case of the activation with MAO: The activities of the catalysts are ≤18 and 9 kg PS/(mol Ti h), and the syndiotacticities of PS are ≤76 and 60%, respectively. Polymers synthesized in the presence of bistitanocanes are characterized by M _n ≤ 4.5 × 10⁴ and T _m ≤ 268°C and a narrow molecular-mass distribution (≤2.5).     

Comparison of activities of homogeneous Ti-based catalysts in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO) for synthesis of syndiotactic polystyrene by UV/visible spectroscopic study

The catalytic activities in syndiospecific polymerization of styrene in hydrocarbon using homogeneous Ti-based catalysts in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO) were investigated through UV/visible spectroscopic analysis. A strong UV absorption band of CpTiCl₃, itself, incipiently appeared at λ_max = 400 nm in toluene, followed by a bathochromic shift with its remarkable decrease by the addition of MAO. The absorption band intensity at λ_max = 400 nm arising from delocalization of π-electrons on the cyclopentadienyl ring decreased by methylation in the presence of MAO with regard to the mechanism for production of an active center (“cation-like”), for example, the change of the ionic nature. The intensity decrease at λ_max = 400 nm was suppressed over 2000 of the [Al]/[Ti] ratio. In the case of Ti(OC₄H₉)₄ having a σ-ligand, new and broad UV absorption bands were developed at λ_max = 340 nm and 410 nm in the presence of MAO in contrast with the CpTiCl₃/MAO system. Comparison between the relative absorption intensities at λ_max = 340 nm and 410 nm led to the determination of a maximum catalytic activity of Ti(OC₄H₉)₄ in the presence of MAO related to the polymerization yield. The maximum polymerization yield was observed with regard to the relative maximum value of the absorption intensity at λ_max = 410 nm with the [Al]/[Ti] ratio (500). From observation for polymorphism of the final products via differential scanning calorimetric analysis (DSC), the thermally unstable β-form seemed to be produced by the CpTiCl₃/MAO system independent of the MAO concentration, the Ti(OC₄H₉)₄/MAO system produced a thermally stable α-form in the low MAO concentration (up to 100 of the [Al]/[Ti] ratio), and a mixture of α- and/or β-forms over 200 of the [Al]/[Ti] ratio under our experimental conditions. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1733–1741, 1998     

CpTiCl2(OR)/MAO体系催化苯乙烯间规聚合的研究

茂金属催化剂广泛应用于催化α-烯烃和苯乙烯的定向聚合. 与传统的Ziegler-Natta催化剂相比, 茂金属催化剂催化活性中心单一, 聚合过程立体定向性强, 且往往得到用常规方法所不能得到的新型聚合物［1～5］. Ishihara等［6］首次采用钛金属有机化合物与甲基铝氧烷(MAO)体系催化苯乙烯聚合, 分离得到间规聚苯乙烯, 从此揭开了苯乙烯定向聚合的新篇章, 合成了大量茂金属有机化合物, 用于催化苯乙烯间规聚合, 其中半夹心结构的茂金属化合物CpTiX3［7,8］, IndTiCl3［3,4,9,10］［Cp=(未)取代环戊二烯基, Ind=(未)取代茚基; X=Cl, F, 烷氧基等］具有最好的催化活性及间规定向性. (CpHMe4)TiF3［8］催化活性高达1.01×108 g PS/(mol Ti*h), 间规度≥95%.     

Influence of monomer structure on chemo- and stereoselectivity of 1,3-diene polymerization

MAO/CpTiCl₃ is an active catalyst for the polymerization of various types of 1,3-dienes. Butadiene, (E) - and (Z) −1,3-pentadiene, (E) −2-methyl-1,3-pentadiene and 2,3-dimethylbutadiene yield, at room temperature, polymers with a cis-1,4 or a mixed cis/1,2 structure. 4-Methyl-1,3-pentadiene and (E,E) −2,4-hexadiene give, respectively, a 1,2 syndiotactic and a trans-1,4/1,2 polymer. MAO/CpTiCl₂·2THF and MAO/(CpTiCl₂)_n are less active than the CpTiCl₃ catalyst, but give the same type of polymers. A change of stereospecificity with temperature was observed in the polymerization of (Z)-1,3-pentadiene: a cis-1,4 isotactic polymer was obtained at +20°C, and a crystalline 1,2 syndiotactic polymer at −20°C. This effect was attributed to a different mode of coordination of the monomer, which is cis-η⁴ at +20°C and may be trans-η² at −20°C. Results obtained with catalysts from CpTi(OBu)₃ and Ti(OBu)₄ are reported for comparison. An interpretation is given of the formation of cis-1,4 isotactic poly(2-methylpentadiene) and of 1,2 syndiotactic poly(4-methylpentadiene), as well as of syndiotactic polystyrene.     

Various silyl-substituted cyclopentadienyl titanium complexes [CpSi(CH3)2X]TiCl3 as catalysts for syndiotactic polystyrene

Three silyl-substituted titanium trichloride complexes [CpSi(CH₃)₂X]TiCl₃ [X=Cl(1), Me(2), PhOMe(3)] were tested as catalyst precursors for the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene. The catalytic activity increased in the order 1 > 2 > 3. The highest activity was 2.42 × 10⁷ g s-PS/mol Ti mol S h using complex 1/MAO catalytic system at molar ratio of Al/Ti=2000. The effects of variation on polymerization temperature and Al/Ti ratio on the polymerization of styrene were also studied.     

Polymerization of styrene with supported half-sandwich complexes

Polymerizations of styrene were carried out with half-sandwich complexes supported on silica, CpTiX₃/MAO/SiO₂ (X = Cl, F). The optimum values for the polymerization time, the amount of cocatalyst and the Al_support/Ti ratio were found for the trichlorinated system. The highest activity obtained was 3,100 g sPS/(mol Ti × h × mol/L styrene). The trihalogenated complexes were compared to one another with respect to their polymerization rate. CpTiCl₃/MAO/SiO₂ and CpTiF₃/MAO/SiO₂ behave in a similar manner, suggesting that the active species of both half-sandwich complexes on the support are the same. Furthermore, aging experiments were carried out with CpTiCl₃/MAO/SiO₂ and, surprisingly, deactivation was observed, as opposed to supported zirconocenes which gain stability against deactivation reactions when anchored to a carrier. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2959–2968, 1999     

The syndiospecific polymerization of styrene in the presence of fluorine‐containing half‐sandwich metallocenes

The syndiospecific polymerization of styrene was investigated with the fluorine‐containing half‐sandwich complexes η⁵‐pentamethylcyclopentadienyl titanium bis(trifluoroacetate) dimer, η⁵‐octahydrofluorenyl titanium tristrifluoro‐acetate, η⁵‐octahydrofluorenyl titanium dimethoxymonotrifluoroacetate, and η⁵‐octahydrofluorenyl titanium tris(pentafluorobenzoate) in comparison to known chloride and methoxide complexes in the presence of relatively low amounts of methylalumoxane and triisobutylaluminum. After the selection of effective reaction conditions for a solvent‐free polymerization, the following orders of decreasing polymerization activity of the titanium complexes can be observed: for pentamethylcyclopentadienyl compounds, Cp*Ti(OMe)₃ > [Cp*Ti(OCOCF₃)₂]₂O ≈ Cp*TiCl₃, and for octahydrofluorenyl compounds, [656]Ti(OMe)₃ > [656]Ti(OCOC₆F₅)₃ > [656]Ti(OCH₃)₂(OCOCF₃) > [656]Ti (OCOCF₃)₃. The [656]Ti complexes, showing the highest polymerization conversions at 70 °C and in comparison with the Cp* Ti compounds, turned out to be highly efficient catalysts for the syndiospecific styrene polymerization. The fluorine‐containing Cp* and [656]Ti complexes lead to much higher molecular weights than the chloride and methoxide compounds because of a reduction in chain‐limiting transfer reactions. The introduction of only one fluorine‐containing ligand into the coordination sphere of the metal compound is obviously sufficient for a significant increase in molecular weight. The active polymerization sites of the [656]Ti complexes with methylalumoxane and triisobutylaluminum are extremely stable during storage at room temperature in regard to their polymerization activity. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2428–2439, 2000     

Titanium(IV) complexes containing mono‐cyclopentadienyl and bulky trityloxy mixed ligands: synthesis and polymerization activity

Eight new R¹CpTiCl₂(OC(C₆H₄R²)Ph₂) complexes were synthesized by the reaction of R¹CpTiCl₃ with Ph₂(R²C₆H₄)COH (R²C₆H₄ = phenyl or o‐methyl‐phenyl) in the presence of Et₃N in good yield and characterized by ¹H NMR, elemental analysis, IR and mass spectrometry. A suitable single crystal of complex 2 (R¹: CH₃, R²: H) was obtained and the structure determined by X‐ray diffraction. When activated by methylaluminoxane (MAO), all complexes were active for the polymerization of ethylene and styrene. The effect of variation in temperature, catalyst concentration and MAO/catalyst molar ratio was also studied. Complex 5 (R¹: n‐C₄H₉, R²: H) showed a moderate conversion (37.4%) for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ESR study on styrene polymerization with CpTiCl3/MMAO: Effect of monomer addition on catalyst activity

An on-line electron spin resonance (ESR) technique was applied to investigate the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene activated by the catalyst system CpTiCl₃/MMAO. The measurements included trivalent titanocene concentration and monomer conversion. The activation procedure was found to have a dramatic effect on catalyst activity. Adding the reactants in the order of (MMAO + CpTiCl₃) + St gave a much higher trivalent titanocene concentration and catalyst activity than the order of (MMAO + St) + CpTiCl₃. The catalyst deactivation behaviors in the temperature range of 25–70°C were followed as a function of time during polymerization. At high Al/Ti ratios (500–1000), the decay rates of trivalent titanocene in the presence of styrene were much faster than those of the pure catalyst system. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3385–3390, 1999     

Syndiospecific polymerization of styrene. I. Tetrabenzyl titanium/methylaluminoxane catalyst

Syndiospecific polymerization of styrene (S) was catalyzed by Bz₄Ti/MAO (tetrabenzyltitanium/methylaluminoxane). The product was separated into syndiotactic polystyrene (s-PS) and atactic polystyrene (a-PS) by extraction of the latter with boiling 2-butanone. Over the broad range of catalyst concentrations, compositions, and polymerization temperatures, the catalytic activity is 150 ± 80kg PS (mol Ti mo S h)^?1 with 89 ± 5% yield of s-PS (SY). The concentration of active species has been determined by radiolabeling. Only about 1.7% of Bz₄Ti initiates syndiospecific polymerization at 60°C with values of rate constants for propagation and for chain transfer to MAO of 1.38 (M s)^?1 and 5.2 × 10^?4s^?1, respectively. Nonspecific polymerization was initiated by 16.8% of the Ti having values of 0.056 (M s)^?1 and 6.5 × 10^?4 s^?1 for the rate constants of propagation and transfer, respectively. The effect of solvent polarity on the polymerization was studied using toluene mixed with chlorobenzene of o-dichlorobenzene as solvents. An increase of effective dielectric constant from 2.43 to 5.92 reduces the polymerization activity by a factor of two and lowers SY to mere 39%. In 1 : 1 toluene/chlorobenzene solvent mixture, it was found that 1.3% and 26% of the Bz₄Ti initiate syndiospecific and nonspecific polymerizations of styrene, respectively. The Bz₄Ti/MAO catalyst is poor in both productivity and stereoselectivity.     

Steric and electronic effects of the R in IndTiCl2(OR) catalysts on the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene

Four alkoxyl ligand substituted indenyl titanium dichloride complexes, IndTiCl₂(OR) (R=Me (2), Et (3), ⁱPr (4), cyclohexyl (5)) were prepared, and evaluated as catalysts for the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene when activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO). Alkoxyl ligand substituted complexes showed higher catalytic activities than IndTiCl₃ (1) except for complex 5. When R=Et, the catalyst 3 showed the highest activity. A study of the steric and electronic effects of alkoxyl ligand revealed that the more electron-donating and less steric bulky R group was more suitable for the improvement of the catalytic activity. When the polymerization was carried in solution at high molar ratio of Al/Ti=4000, the s-PS% of obtained polymer were in the range of 99.0–99.6%. The highest melting point of 276.9°C was obtained by using 2 as catalyst. The influence of polymerization temperature was also investigated. The maximum polymerization activities were found at 50°C for all of the above complexes, but the percentages of s-PS were insensitive to the polymerization temperature.     

Polymer-supported titanium catalysts for syndiotactic polymerization of styrene

Poly(styrene-co-acrylamide)(PSAm)-titanium complexes (PSAm · Ti) were prepared and characterized. It is found that the coordination number of acrylamide (Am) to Ti in the complexes is strongly dependent on Am content in PSAm, but not on [Am]/[Ti] ratio in the feed. The infrared and x-ray photoelectron spectra suggest that the polymer-supported complexes possess the structure The catalytic behavior of the complexes in styrene polymerization is described. The catalytic activity is markedly affected by [Al]/[Ti] ratio in the complexes. ¹³C NMR, IR, and DSC data indicate that the polystyrene obtained with PSAm · Ti/MAO (MAO = methylaluminoxane) is highly syndiotactic. Use of Et₃Al and i-Bu₃Al in place of MAO gives atactic polystyrene. The activities of the various aluminum compounds used as the cocatalysts decrease in the order: MAO > Et₃Al > i-Bu₃Al. The polymer-supported complexes show relatively high activity even after the complexes had been exposed to air for 19 h or higher polymerization temperature. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Ethylene polymerization catalyzed by metallocene/methylaluminoxane systems: quantum-mechanical study on the role of olefin separated ion pairs (OSIP) in the polymerization mechanism

DFT (density-functional theory) calculations were performed to investigate the thermodynamics of formation of Olefin Separated Ion Pairs (OSIP) Cp₂MtCH₃⁺/C₂H₄/Cl₂Al[O(AlMe₃)AlHMe] (Cp = η₅-C₅H₅, Mt = Ti, Zr, Me = CH₃) from ethylene and Cp₂MtMe · Cl₂Al[O(AlMe₃)AlHMe]₂, a model of adduct produced by metallocence/methylaluminoxane (MAO) systems for olefin polymerization. The results account for the high cocatalytic activity of MAO and show that titanium complexes are potentially more active than zirconium homologues, as confirmed by low temperature polymerization tests.     

Polymerizations of olefins and diolefins catalyzed by monocyclopentadienyltitanium complexes containing a (dimethylamino)ethyl substituent and comparison with ansa-zirconocene systems

{[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]cyclopentadienyl}titanium trichloride (Cp^NTiCl₃, 1 ) was activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO) to catalyze polymerizations of ethylene (E), propylene (P), ethylidene norbornene (ENB), vinylcyclohexene (VCH), and 1,4-hexadiene (HD). The dependence of homopolymerization activity ( A ) of 1 /MAO on olefin concentration ([M]ⁿ) is n = 2.0 ± 0.5 for E and n = 1.8 ± 0.2 for P. The value of n is 2.4 ± 0.2 for CpTiCl₃/MAO catalysis of ethylene polymerization; this system does not polymerize propylene. 1 /MAO catalyzes HD polymerization at one-tenth of A _H for 1-hexene, probably because of chelation effects in the HD case. The copolymerization of E and P has reactivity ratios of r_E = 6.4 and r_P = 0.29 at 20°C, and r_Er_P = 1.9, which suggests 1 /MAO may be a multisite catalyst. The copolymerization activity of CpTiCl₃/MAO is 50 times smaller than that of Cp^NTiCl₃/MAO. Terpolymerization of E/P/ENB has A of 10⁵ g of polymer/(mol of Ti h), incorporates up to 14 mol % (∼ 40 wt %) of ENB, and high MW's of 1 to 3 × 10⁵. All of these parameters are surprisingly insensitive to the ENB concentration. The E/P/VCH terpolymerization has comparable A value of (1.3 ± 0.3) × 10⁵ g/(mol of Ti h). The incorporation of VCH in terpolymer increases with increasing [VCH]. Terpolymerization with HD occurs at about one-third of the A of either ENB or VCH; the product HD–EPDM is low in molecular weight and contains less than 4% of HD. These terpolymerization results are compared with those obtained previously for three zirconocene precursors: rac-ethylenebis(1-η⁵-indenyl)dichlorozirconium ( 6 ), rac-(dimethylsilylene)bis(1-η⁵-indenyl)dichlorozirconium ( 7 ), and ethylenebis(9-η⁵-fluorenyl)dichlorozirconium ( 8 ). The last compound is a particularly poor terpolymerization catalyst; it incorporates very little VCH or HD and no ENB at all. 7 /MAO is a better catalyst for E/P/VCH terpolymerization, while 6 /MAO is superior in E/P/HD terpolymerization. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 319–328, 1998     

Syndiospecific polymerization of styrene using fluorinated indenyltitanium complexes

Nine new fluorinated half-sandwich titanocene complexes (1b–9b) based on substituted alkylindenes were synthesized, by reacting Me₃SnF with the corresponding chloride species, and employed as catalyst precursors for the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene. When activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO), the new precursors 1b–9b exhibited increased activities by factors of 15-40 compared with the corresponding chlorinated compounds and provided improved syndiotacticity, enhanced melting temperature, and higher polymer molecular weights. The activities of indenyl and methyl- or phenyl-substituted indenyl complexes were found to be higher by factors of 4-12.5 than those of CpTiF₃ and Cp*TiF₃. More importantly, the amount of MAOcan be reduced to an Al : Ti molar ratio of 300 in the temperature range of 10-90°C. It is likely that Ti F, more polarized than the Ti Cl bond in the half-sandwich titanocenes, allows the formation of more active and stable active sites of Ti(III) complexes needed for the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene. Evidence in this direction is brought via the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum and redox titration. The higher activity and syndiospecificity of the fluorinated catalysts are attributable to a greater number, more stable Ti(III) active sites, and/or higher propagation rate constant. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2481–2488, 1999     

Syndiotactic polymerization of styrene in the presence of CpTiCl2(OC6H4X)/MAO catalytic systems

CpTiCl₂(OC₆H₄X‐p) complexes (where X =­CH₃, Cl, NO₂,; Cp = cyclopentadienyl) activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO) were used in syndiotactic polymerization of styrene. High activity and selectivity for all catalysts were found. The styrene conversion and reaction selectivity depend on the catalyst ageing time and temperature, polymerization temperature and the nature of the substituent in the phenoxy ring. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of novel zirconium complexes bearing mono‐Cp and tridentate Schiff base [ONO] ligands and their catalytic activities for olefin polymerization

A series of novel zirconium complexes {R²Cp[2‐R¹‐6‐(2‐CH₃OC₆H₄N?CH)C₆H₃O]ZrCl₂ ( 1 , R¹ = H, R² = H, 2 : R¹ = CH₃, R² = H; 3 , R¹ = ^tBu, R² = H; 4 , R¹ = H, R² = CH₃; 5 , R¹ = H, R² = n‐Bu)} bearing mono‐Cp and tridentate Schiff base [ONO] ligands are prepared by the reaction of corresponding lithium salt of Schiff base ligands with R²CpZrCl₃·DME. All complexes were well characterized by ¹H NMR, MS, IR and elemental analysis. The molecular structure of complex 1 was further confirmed by X‐ray diffraction study, where the bond angle of Cl? Zr? Cl is extremely wide [151.71(3)°]. A nine‐membered zirconoxacycle complex Cp(O? 2? C₆H₄N?CHC₆H₄‐2? O)ZrCl₂ ( 6 ) can be obtained by an intramolecular elimination of CH₃Cl from complex 1 or by the reaction of CpZrCl₃·DME with dilithium salt of ligand. When activated by excess methylaluminoxane (MAO), complexes 1–6 exhibit high catalytic activities for ethylene polymerization. The influence of polymerization temperature on the activities of ethylene polymerization is investigated, and these complexes show high thermal stability. Complex 6 is also active for the copolymerization of ethylene and 1‐hexene with low 1‐hexene incorporation ability (1.10%). Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New multinuclear half-titanocene catalysts in the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene

The syndiospecific polymerization of styrene with a new class of multinuclear transition metal catalysts in the presence of methylalumoxane and triisobutylaluminum has been investigated. The new multinuclear catalysts [(η⁵-C₅Me₅)Ti]₄(μ-O)₆ and [(η⁵-C₁₃H₁₇)Ti]₄(μ-O)₆ were received by reaction of the corresponding mononuclear compounds with water and characterized by X-ray crystal structure analysis. The molecular structure of both complexes is tetrameric with six bridging oxygen atoms between the four titanium atoms, forming an adamantane-like cage structure with a substituted cyclopentadienyl ligand remaining η⁵-bonded to each titanium atom.The bulky [(η⁵-C₁₃H₁₇)Ti]₄(μ-O)₆ shows higher polymerization conversions than [(η⁵-C₅Me₅)Ti]₄(μ-O)₆. The polymerization activity is significantly increased by an enhancement of the MAO concentration after a short retardation period and levels off at MAO/[(η⁵-C₁₃H₁₇)Ti]₄(μ-O)₆ molar ratios above about 600. Triisobutylaluminum increases the polymerization yield to a maximum at a TIBA/[(η⁵-C₁₃H₁₇)Ti]₄(μ-O)₆ molar ratio of about 30-100, but considerably decreases it at higher molar ratios below the polymerization conversion reached without any additional aluminum alkyl. Both compounds affect molecular weight and molecular weight distribution without any influence on the stereospecificity of the different catalytic sites active in polymerization reactions.The new multinuclear transition metal catalysts reach about 30-50% of the polymerization activity of the mononuclear catalysts on a molar basis and show a remarkably high catalytic activity in complex-coordinative polymerizations even after storage in non-inert-atmosphere conditions. The active polymerization sites of the multinuclear catalysts are not as uniform as the active sites of the mononuclear catalysts are and provide polystyrenes of a slightly lower syndiospecificity, but do not significantly influence the weight average molecular weights.     

Isospecific Polymerization of Propylene By ansa-Zirconocene Diamide Compound Cocatalyzed by Mao

Abstract

The kinetics of propylene polymerization initiated by racemic ethylene-1,2-bis(1-indenyl) zirconium bis(dimethylamide) [rac-(EBI) Zr(NMe₂)₂(rac-1)] cocatalyzed by methylaluminoxane (MAO) were studied. The polymerization behaviors of rac-1/MAO catalyst investigated by changing various experimental parameters are quite different from those of rac-(EBI) ZrCl₂ (rac-2)/MAO catalyst, due to the differences in the generation procedure of cationic actives species of each metallocene by the reaction with MAO. The activity of rac-1/MAO catalyst showed maximum when [Al]/[Zr] is around 2000, when [Zr] is 137.1 μM, and when polymerization temperature is 30°C. The negligible activity of rac-1/MAO catalyst at a very low MAO concentration seems to be caused by the instability of the cationic active species. The meso pentad values of polymers produced by rac-1/MAO catalyst at 30°C are in the range of 82.8% to 89.7%. The rac-1/MAO catalyst lost stereorigid character at the polymerization temperature above 60°C. The molecular weight of polymer decreased as [Al]/[Zr] ratio, polymerization temperature, and [Zr] increased. The molecular weight distributions of all polymers are in the range of 1.8–2.3, demonstrating uniform active species present in the polymerization system.